Smallville: End
by Snuggs
Summary: Friends become foes. Foes become friends. A boy becomes a man. A man that has always been a hero. Featuring: Bruce Wayne
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville, Superman, or any of the characters.

Summary:

Friends become foes. Foes become friends. A boy becomes a man. A man that has always been a hero. (Featuring: Bruce Wayne)

SMALLVILLE: END

_Lex Luthor_

I walked steadily out of the elevator and through the hallway. The Marriot's business floor was professional looking. _It would have to be_, I smiled to myself, _this floor alone holds the most powerful men of the coast_. I walked past the secretary, who was talking animatedly with a handsome visitor.

"Mr. Luthor!" She noticed me at the last second. "Do you want me to inform them that you're here?"

I turned to her wearily. "I think I can manage that myself." I proceeded forward rolling my eyes at her. These Marriots can look as professional as they'd like, but their employees… well let's just say you can hold your own with a high school diploma.

I opened the double doors and quickly made my presence known. One of the useful business techniques my father taught me… and I never forgot it. I'd like to think that my father and I are nothing alike… but the fact is that there are more similarities than I'd like to admit. I learned so many things from him… yet I hate him just as much. I would not grow up to be my father. I refused to. My father may have been powerful and manipulative, but inside he was weak. He proved that to me. I had overtaken him… sent him to jail… minimized his power time and time again… until the tables had turned. Lex Luthor was at the top… and Lionel Luthor… the new Lionel… was just a shadow of his former self.

"Mr. Luthor." A black man in a professional suit acknowledged me. Mr. Lucius Fox, a representative of Wayne Enterprises. They had branches throughout the world, but Mr. Fox was the main spokesperson. He dealt with issues that concerned the company as a whole. Seven years ago, when I first moved to Smallville, I wouldn't have thought of him or the company he represented much. Truth of the matter is, my father completely stopped worrying about Wayne Enterprises upon the death of Thomas Wayne. _Son_, he'd tell me, _when the King in chess is taken, the game is over_. Well their King had been taken, and it seemed the game ended then… but lately, the company revived itself. It had soared back into the charts. Military. Charities. Computers. It was neck to neck with LuthorCorp.

"Sorry I'm late." I smiled knowingly at Mr. Fox, knowing full well he couldn't do anything. We'd had meetings before. I remember ten years ago… I walked into a room like this with Wayne Enterprises and many other military companies. My father and I were the most powerful men in the room. Fox didn't even own Wayne Enterprises. He was just a spokesperson. He knew if we wanted to, we could seize the company he worked for. But the thing was, why would we? Their company then was insignificant. True, we would own a monopoly over Gotham, but Gotham City was a mess. Still is. The fact was, it just wasn't worth it.

Mr. Fox studied me for a second and met my smile with one of his own. Completely fake. Well, at least mine was.

"We should get started then." Mr. Fox cleared his throat with an air of authority. I only nodded my head as I found a seat on one end of the long table. Men in different outfits and uniforms filed in and began to take their seats.

"I'm curious, gentlemen," I started it off. I had to be at the offensive from the beginning. Keep them off guard. "Why you would call such an urgent meeting?"

"Monopoly." An official looking military man spoke up. He was seated across Fox at the other end of the table. The seat at the other end remained vacant.

I chuckled. "I assume you're not talking about the game…" The smile fell from my lips to be replaced by a look of impatience. "I see you're not sitting at your usual place, Lucius." His face remained blank. "So it's obvious that Wayne Enterprises has a little feud going on inside. Not quite the alpha male you were before?"

"Not quite." Fox responded.

"Then enlighten me." I stared him in the eye. "And why exactly is any of Wayne Enterprises any of my business?"

"It's not." A voice interrupted from behind me. "But LuthorCorp is."

I spun around to meet a pair of icy blue eyes. Familiar ones. The handsome visitor, "Bruce Wayne."

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_Lex Luthor_

It didn't go smoothly from there. Basically, Bruce Wayne had inherited all of his parents' possessions when they died. It wouldn't have been an issue considering everyone thought Bruce Wayne had died four years ago. But he was back… and apparently still alive.

Many of the possessions his father had left him were stocks. A whole load of them dated back to the days of the Great Depression. And most of them were thought to be gone. Companies owed him millions of dollars _including_ LuthorCorp. This man never needed to work another day of his life. But there he was. Taking control of Wayne Enterprises as CEO. You had to admire him. Unfortunately, I really didn't like him.

Another unfortunate detail was that he owned 29 of the company. In fact, I had used his piece of the company to override my father and take control. If he was coming back to take what was his, that would leave my father as the rightful owner of LuthorCorp and me at his mercy. Without his piece… Lionel Luthor would be the biggest shareholder in the company. This was bad. I had to act fast… but I was strangely calm. Nothing a few phone calls couldn't solve.

The meeting stretched on. It seemed like a few hours when in reality, it was less than one. I didn't care anymore. My father will have heard of the news before I leave the building. I sat in the leather chair, calculating… time to set up a new game, a game of chess. My father would be so proud.

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_Clark Kent_

I typed away at the computer screen. Looking at the time, I scolded myself silently. I was supposed to be home in fifteen minutes and I still had this article to finish.

I should back up. My name is Clark Kent and I'm from Smallville. That's about fifty miles south from Metropolis University… where I am now. I go to college there, majoring in Journalism. There's really nothing special about me… oh yeah… I forgot, I'm an alien. Strange how I can casually joke about it on paper, but to other people… that's another story. No, I don't look like ET. I've never met an alien that did. I mean… they _could_ be out there and I've just never met one. I can't bring people back to life by touching them… but I do have my fair share of jaw dropping abilities.

Looking around the library, I noticed that no one was at the computers but me. Other students probably use their own laptops, but not me. Smiling to myself, I typed faster. Faster and faster until my fingers weren't even a blur on the keyboard. I never thought of doing this in High School. I'm sure I could've had a lot more free time if I did. And voila! Article typed up and ten minutes to spare.

I got up and left the library, dodging people entering for a late night cram. I ran into a dorm room almost getting impaled by a biker to finally approach the mailboxes. It didn't take me long to find it. I had been here so many times in my three years here.

I scanned through the stacks of different mailboxes until I found it. Chloe Sullivan. Hope she was happy with my article.

"Clark, you're late," my mom told me over the phone when I got home.

"Yeah, I know, mom." I apologized. "It was only five minutes though… and I had this paper due… and the campus was crowded…"

"I guess there's nothing we can do about it now." Martha sighed. "Alright. He's coming. We'll be there in ten minutes. Remember to be gone by then."

I smiled. "I will." Dad had been having some major heart problems for about three months and came into the hospital for regular check-ups. Mom and I had been pulling some weight off his shoulders as far as farm work was concerned. He didn't need to make it worse for himself. But my dad would be stubborn. He would tell us not to get involved and it was his weight to pull… another reason why we didn't tell him.

I sped around the farm, repairing this and that. Small things. I left the work unfinished and only completed new ones my dad didn't know about. It wasn't a big thing. I was fast. Covering my tracks took more time than actually doing the chores. As I was running through a field from the fencing I had mostly finished, I heard something.

It was far off, but I could hear it: the hum of a car's engine. I examined the familiar sound.

No mistake about it. It was my mom's car. I looked over. A normal person couldn't see or hear it, but I wasn't exactly normal. Squinting, trees rushed for my vision, and my X-Ray kicked in. It wasn't just the trees anymore… I was looking _past_ them, past the forest and into the road on the other side of it. There it was. I could see them.

Smiling again, in spite of myself, I disappeared from the field… out of the farm… and away from Smallville in a blur.

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_Bruce Wayne_

"Are you sure about this, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked me in the limo. "Wayne Enterprises needs you now more than ever."

"Wayne Enterprises was doing just fine in the years that I'd been gone, Alfred." I reasoned. "It will survive without Bruce Wayne… and besides… it's not like I'll be taking a permanent vacation."

"This trip to Smallville does pose some questions." Alfred observed.

"I'm aware of that, Alfred." I explained. "But my journey around the world hasn't ended yet. I know it seems like it is, with me returning to Gotham and seizing control of my father's company… but Smallville is the final stop."

"Why Smallville?" Alfred asked confused. "Why now?"

"Smallville is the home of the… 'meteor freaks'… I have to know why this happens here… how it happens… and if I can use it."

"A meteor freak, sir?" Alfred chuckled. "Times have surely changed. "

"As to the 'why now' part… well…" I paused, thinking back. "Smallville then was never really in the map… sure, it had been hit by a meteor shower, but… we all thought it was a one time thing. To go through it again… it's too much of a coincidence. Then these 'freaks' have been coming along causing havoc wherever they go."

"And you're here to find out why and how, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked once more. I could feel his gaze scanning me from the mirror as I looked out the window. The first chapter was unfolding, and the battle was yet to be fought.

"I guess there's really no talking you out of this, Master Bruce," Alfred decided after a few minutes silence. We had just passed a sign that read _Welcome to Smallville!_

I looked outwards at the fields and farms that was Smallville. Smallville was never meant to be a city. It was too traditional without the smell of car exhaust and pollution. It was a world that I had wished Gotham was so long ago. It was a town where everyone knew everyone, but still maintained its own mysteries. A blue and red blur sped past.

"Stop the car!" I ordered unnecessarily. Alfred had already begun to stop. I got out of the car before it did and looked in the direction from where we came; the direction in which the blur had gone to.

"Where do you suppose he was headed off in such a hurry?" Alfred piped up. The joke was an uncertain one. I knew him too well. I knew he was a little troubled. Not many things moved like that… especially on the ground.

"Forget about it, Alfred." I said, knowing full well we could do nothing at this point. I turned to him, "Probably the light playing tricks on us." I added. His reaction was immediate. He did not believe me… nor did I mean for him to do so. We both knew strange things were bound to happen. We just didn't expect them to happen so soon. No matter… this is what I came here for. Before I begin my war on crime… I must prove my worth and skill not to the people, but to myself… and to do that, I must solve the mystery that has remained secret since I was a child.

This was going to get interesting.

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_A/N: Second chapter in the making. I'm making this up as I go along. If all goes according to schedule it should be up by next week. I know it's written weirdly: in first person, but that's usually for my benefit. Only things I can actually finish are first person POV stories. Enjoy._


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville, Superman, or any of the characters.

Summary:

Friends become foes. Foes become friends. A boy becomes a man. A man that has always been a hero. (Featuring: Bruce Wayne)

SMALLVILLE: END

_Lex Luthor_

"When I heard you were in Smallville, I couldn't believe it." I turned to him as I downed my whiskey. "Now tell me, what's a man like you doing in Smallville?"

Bruce flashed a smile. "Same reason why a powerful man like you is here, Lex."

I looked him in the eye for a second. His icy blue eyes revealed nothing. I walked over to the table where the whiskey was and poured two glasses. I offered him the second one, taking the first as my own, but he refused.

"My reasons have changed, Bruce." I said finally. "With LuthorCorp out of my grasp, I'm grounded in Smallville." I tried to read his expression, but he just continued to look at me showing nothing but a modest smile.

"Lex, I'm sorry." He responded. "I never wanted this to happen. I just wanted to make things right."

"My father spear heading the company again isn't right." I reasoned. "He may have lay low for a while, but make no mistake… as we speak, he is further securing his control over the company. He won't let anyone stop him again… especially me."

"From what I understand, Lex…" Bruce started, "you're not that much better than your father anyway."

"Did Lucius tell you that?" I laughed. "Bruce, that was entirely business. Sometimes… the gloves have to come off."

His piercing eyes bore into my dark ones. "I see…" He turned around. "I'll see you around, Lex." He started to walk towards the door.

"Wait!" I called. "You're staying in Smallville?"

He turned around to face me again. "Yes."

"For how long?" I asked genuinely curious.

"As long as it takes." Bruce responded. I looked at him curiously. Looking at me and smiling once more, he added, "We each have our own agendas, Lex. Maybe Smallville is the little vacation I was looking for from the car exhaust and the muggings and the general urban disasters." He turned away again and headed for the door.

"If you're looking for a vacation, Bruce," I warned him before he could walk out the door. He stopped. "Smallville isn't the place for it." He didn't say anything, but merely opened the door. "There's a place called The Talon…" I started.

He looked at me one last time. "What?"

"Lodgings." I told him. "I would've offered my house to you… but I doubt you would've accepted. There's a place called The Talon. Talk to Martha Kent… she has a place for rent."

He continued to look at me for a few seconds, and then nodded. He walked through the door and closed it, leaving me with the whiskey.

Putting the glasses down, I crossed to the computer and sat down. I clicked, turning off the screen saver, logged on, and typed in 'Bruce Wayne'.

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_Martha Kent_

The Talon was packed. I know I shouldn't be complaining, considering that the more customers, the better. But everything was just too hectic. A person could've just come in here and robbed the place and I would've been too busy to notice.

"Cup of black coffee please." The man next in line said. He placed the money on the counter.

"Coming up." I smiled and turned to my new assistant Kelly. "One Coffee Black." I told Kelly before hurrying off, trying to hand the previous order, a vanilla latte, but I was stopped.

"Mrs. Kent!" One of my workers called out. I turned. "Never mind." I looked at her for a moment, noticing her take the money that I had forgotten about from the counter and put it in the register. Dear God. I was getting too old for this.

"Hey!' A voice called out. "Where's my Vanilla Latte?" This snapped me out of my train of thought.

"Coming right up!" I called out. I was about to leave the counter when…

"Wait! Mrs. Kent!" Kelly jogged to catch up to me. "Here's the Black Coffee." She smiled and walked off to get the next order.

I walked away scanning the dozens of faces in The Talon until I spotted Allison, who had ordered the Vanilla Latte. She waited impatiently and it showed. Sighing, I approached her. "Here it is. Enjoy!" I smiled forcefully and walked off. "Hey, Kelly! Who ordered the Black Coffee?" I asked before tripping on someone's shoe and falling.

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_Bruce Wayne_

I saw it coming. The haggard looking woman looked beat. I guess my search for Martha Kent would have to wait. So did my Black Coffee.

I walked straight through the line of people.

"Hey!" A girl called at me.

"Watch it, jerk!" Another said.

I didn't have time to acknowledge them. The woman tripped. Gracefully, I wrapped an arm around her waist and caught her, then pivoted to catch the tray she'd tossed aside. The aroma of black coffee entered through my nose.

"Um." I said a little awkwardly. The room had gone silent, noticing the scene that had unfolded. "I think this one's mine." I smiled widely and people started to turn back to their conversations.

The woman regained her composure and thanked me. "No problem." I'd responded. "Say," I started before she could get back to work. She turned back to me. "You wouldn't happen to know where I could find a Ms. Martha Kent, would you?" I turned the smile on again. "Someone said she'd be here."

The woman gave her full attention to me. "I think you found her." She put the tray on the counter. "I'm Martha Kent."

"Can I--?" I started, but I was interrupted.

"Fifteen minutes, Kelly!" She called to a girl working diligently on the counter. The girl nodded and got back to work.

"So you catch people often?" Martha joked.

I smiled at her. "Only when they're falling." She smiled back and picked up the item on the tray then handed it to me. "Thank you," I said, taking the coffee from her hand.

"So you needed to talk to me?" She brought up.

"Yeah." I responded, taking a sip from my coffee. The smile faded from my lips. "I was looking for a place to stay. One of my…" I paused. "… associates… he told me where to find you."

"Oh!" Martha Kent piped. "Yeah. There's a place upstairs actually." Her eyes darted to the stairs that went along the walls. "Not exactly a suite, but it's tidy and you get free coffee in the morning."

I laughed lightly. "You know what, it'd be great." My gaze ran up the steps. "Do you mind if I," I looked at her as I finished, "take a look… Ms…."

"Kent." She smiled. "Mrs. Kent. Call me Martha. And no, of course you can look around."

"… Martha." I finished. _The same name my mother had_. She gave me a key that was chained to her apron and I took it. "Thank you."

I walked up the stairs and down a hallway to meet a door. I knocked. Of course no one was there. Martha had given me the key. Why would she give me the key if someone were in here. I took the key and used it to unlock the door. The smell of flowers rushed out as the door opened. What kind of flowers, I had no idea.

The room wasn't bright, but it wasn't dim either. There was no source of light except an open window. Sunshine rolled through and seemed to fill the entire room with its light. I couldn't decide whether it was orange or yellow, or maybe both… but more yellow than orange.

I spotted a rose on a table that had a white cloth thrown over it. I walked on over to it and picked it up with two fingers. _Delicate_, I thought. Looking at the rose suddenly brought back a memory that sent my mind in a whirlpool of mixed emotions. My vision blurred as the memory got clearer. My feet buckled and I hastily grabbed a wall for balance.

A gunshot. There was no need for me to see if the bullet had hit its mark. I knew it had. The barrel was still smoking and the look of surprise on the killer's face. Surprise at his own daring. A surprise I had longed to wipe from him face to this day. I looked to my mother. My beautiful mother, Martha Wayne. I had never seen her angry, truly angry. I don't think she ever was. I always saw her as a compassionate woman that always offered a hand to any individual that needed it. But that day I saw a new look, a look of pain and fear. It was the kind of look I had wanted the killer to have. Did he know? That my mother and father, although not personally, had done their best to help him? And what had he done? What had he gained? My father would've given him and all the poverty stricken people the world. Instead, he had gotten a few hundred dollars. I picked the pearls up. The pearls that the killer had tried to grab before shooting my mother, which caused my father to protest.

Another gunshot. And the pearls were caked in blood. So were my hands. I looked behind me knowing what I would find but wishing altogether that it wasn't real. My father clutched at his wound. He knew it was fatal. The other hand clutched a solitary rose. A rose that he had planned on giving to my mother. It was just like him. I looked at the killer once more surprising even me at my own courage. His look of daring had been replaced by fear. I knew that it had dawned on him. The death of the Waynes could not be overlooked. He had buried his own grave. And as I looked at him, thinking of my lovely mother, and my chivalrous father, I did the only thing I could do. An eight-year-old boy fighting back in the only way he could: I cried. I cried at the sky. The midnight sky that seemed to listen to my problem and my problem alone. I cried and cried waiting the gunshot that never came. Was he still there? I didn't know. I didn't care. But as I heard the sirens getting closer, I knew then that he was gone.

"Are you okay?" A woman said behind me, snapping me out of the memory.

I noticed my eyes had teared up and I hastily blinked them away. My two fingers that had delicately gripped the rose before were now joined with the rest of my hand and had become a death grip. Slowly, I loosened my grip and opened my hand. I was surprised when blood oozed down and noticed the thorns for the first time.

"I'm fine—" I started, but Martha had noticed the blood.

"Oh God!" She took out a handkerchief from seemingly out of nowhere, took the rose out of my hand, and hastily wrapped my palm. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it." I answered. "It was my fault. Should've known it had thorns."

Martha smiled sympathetically. "I never got your name."

I smiled charismatically. A smile I had practiced and done so many times. Yet surprisingly, it still worked. Amazing how far you could get with a pretty smile. I almost answered with my true name but stopped myself just in time. It was time to use an identity I had used so many times. In many ways, it was more real than Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne would draw too much attention, especially in a town like Smallville. "Malone." I answered confidently. "Mitch Malone."

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_A/N: Little late, but I got stuck. I was hoping to have a little of Clark in it, but I thought I'd have all that in the next chapter. Give me one to two weeks for the next one. An additional note: Batman in the future uses an identity called 'Matches' Malone, which Mitch Malone comes from. Just so you guys know it's not random J._


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